Take it or Leave it
No disrepect to Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly, but when I saw this movie advertised on the TV, I didn’t have much hope.
Christmas & New Year had just passed & my girlfriend had enough of sitting on the couch. In fact, one of the last things we watched whilst sitting on our Moradillo, was the Holmes & Watson trailer. After watching it, I had an overwhelming feeling that this was the type of movie you watch from the comfort of your living room. However, as mentioned above, my girlfriend wanted to see the outside world again (I can assure you that I do not keep her captive), especially after hibernating during the Christmas break, so I booked Odeon’s recliner seats, also known as Odeon Luxe & off we went.
First of all, the recliner seats were over the top for such a movie as Holmes & Watson, which I knew prior to booking, but I’m a sucker for their electronically operated, comfy & spacious chairs. Although, please note, you should only book recliners when you’re in for a 2 hour plus film that requires your full attention (do as you wish, this is just my opinion). Unfortunately, on both counts, this wasn’t one of those movies. Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly’s story & portrayal of Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson, needs hardly any concentration in the slightest & I don’t mean that in a good way.
The opening scene of this movie was genuinely funny to me, so I was excited for the rest of it. When I first saw the two protagonists together, I had flashbacks to Step Brothers, putting me in a false sense of security, because as the movie went on from there, it really went downhill & for the most part, it stayed there.
Sherlock Holmes & John Watson team up to solve a murder. That’s essentially the entire film wrapped up into one sentence & as I’m sure you can imagine, the antics that follow are nothing short of what you would expect the two actors to participate in. Don’t get me wrong, if the movie was a disaster, then it wouldn’t have made it to the cinema. Or would it? Yet, it does have some funny moments, but they’re few and far between. One moment that stood out to me as being particularly humorous, was when both Sherlock Holmes & John Watson stumble into a post office, completely drunk, having the clerk send them a ‘dirty’ telegram. Other notable moments were when Sherlock Holmes would calculate in his head, the mathematics, physics & geometry for his next ‘move’, then when it plays out in reality, it’s nothing like how he had thought. Apart from those moments and perhaps one or two others, I struggle to recall anything else that made me laugh.
There is no doubt in my mind that Will Ferrell is a funny guy. Both off the screen and on it, I find him hilarious. John C. Reilly is also a funny man & you would expect the two to produce a truly laugh out loud movie. Needless to say, this didn’t even come close. Holmes & Watson will inevitably become (if not became) another B rated movie that will be added to the list with all the others that everybody has forgotten about. It sounds harsh, but it’s true.
There have been a few Will Ferrell movies that I’ve really enjoyed over the past 10-15 years. Anchorman being my absolute favourite. Something that is proving or, perhaps proven, to be something that is impossible to replicate or top. Either way, Holmes & Watson, as good as it seeing the two together again, playing the roles of infamous people in British history, on the cold, dark & cobbled streets of London is, just doesn’t cut the mustard and/or satisfy your laughing urges. Well, it didn’t mine, anyway. I desperately wanted this movie to be funny from start to finish, have me in tears of laughter & I wanted to leave my recliner feeling disappointed that it was over. Yet, I left feeling happy that the movie was over & that’s never a good feeling.
Whatever I felt as I left the cinema or as I write this Blog, nearly everyone who helped make this movie would have made a profit & I know it’s not all about the money (for some), but this is the movie business, so targets always need to be met, if not exceeded, which they have or will very soon to have done. The point that i’m trying to make here is that whether or not Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly were just as disappointed in this movie as their fans or not, I would bet my entire life savings (£50) that they will not be losing any sleep over it & neither should you. Both actors will return to our screens, either on a movie and/or series & this film will hardly be thought about, let alone discussed, if it hasn’t already reached that stage.!